Picture books at the Alford branch are organized by author’s name, which is wonderful for customers looking for a specific title or author, but is more time-consuming for customers browsing for a certain subject. Alford is a busy branch without a separate children’s reference desk; staff are challenged to provide in-depth reader’s advisory to young readers while also balancing circulation and reference duties. Curating popular subjects ahead of time into book bundles helps bridge this gap for customers.

Staff talked to customers and brainstormed the most requested subjects appropriate for Book Bundle themes. Themes change as requests change. The check-out process is simple. The customer takes the bundle to the circulation desk or self-check station, unties the bundle, then checks out each book. Each bundle has a laminated theme card that staff use to create a new book bundle on the same theme each time one is borrowed by a family.

The most popular subjects have been Dinosaurs, Farm Fun, Fairy Tales and Spooky Stuff. There has been great feedback from customers about how much they enjoy and appreciate the bundles. We often see caregivers grab a bundle in addition to the stack of books that they picked. Certain Book Bundles also have a surge in popularity depending on the time of year and community events; skills-related bundles like “ABCs” are popular in July and August to prepare for children starting preschool and kindergarten.